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NASHVILLE – National Religious Broadcasters President Dr. Frank Wright spoke about the challenges facing his media colleagues and urged them to stand strong amid the growing restrictions on religious freedom during the opening general session of the NRB Convention on Saturday evening.

"Restrictions on religious freedom anywhere, are threats to religious freedom everywhere," said Wright, who has guided the organization for the past 10 years.

Wright called on Christians to pay close attention to three specific areas that are an immediate threat to spreading the gospel. First, the Department of Health and Human Services, which he believes is spearheading the administration's fight against religious liberties. He highlighted the president's mandating companies – including most religious organizations that are not included in the narrow exemption – to provide contraceptives, including abortifacients, to women employees as among the threats to religious freedom.

Second, the NRB president warned that some government entities are seeking to define "hate speech" as anything the Bible views as wrong or sinful but that some segments of society are seeking to normalize. "If we are not careful, we could find ourselves breaking the law by preaching the word of God," he warned.

Wright's final point on his message about religious freedom was to encourage NRB members to oppose what is known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The bill, designed to prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, could actually harm Christian employers and employees by imposing unnecessary and stringent rules on company policies.

The NRB convention will last through Tuesday evening and will feature a number of national religious figures including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Pastor John MacArthur.